Close to Home Mysteries
by lezonne
Summary: When some undesired toys hit the market, Draco loses his cool as his cool when he finds out he's being portrayed as a Death Eater from during the war. To track down the maker he enlists Hermione's help, but they never suspected the real culprit… Written for the LJ 'Interhouse-Fest' and various FF fests/competitions.
1. Part 1

_Disclaimer_: All rights to the Harry Potter characters, world, and creation belong to J.K Rowling. I'm just adding my own spin to it.

Thanks to my beta _lozipozivanillabean_! Rated for mild swearing, lots of drama, mystery and the like.

My 2013 entry into the _Interhouse-Fest _on Livejournal. Two-part.

Summary: When some undesired toys hit the market, Draco loses his cool as his cool when he finds out he's being portrayed as a Death Eater from during the war. To track down the maker he enlists Hermione's help, but they never suspected the real culprit…

Also written for the _Organization Boot Camp _prompt #44 (home), the _If You Dare Challenge _prompt #517 (mystery- prewritten) the _Fantastic Beasts Challenge _prompt #76 (sphinx) and the _Twelve Days of Christmas Challenge _part 8 number 2.

* * *

Close to Home Mysteries, part 1

Sleek, stylish and completely insulting; that's how Hermione saw the figurines. While some stood flattered that they had been turned into a toy, she crossed her arms tightly and turned her nose up to every single one. Her daughter on the other hand was head over heels in love with Britain's newest best-seller.

"Mum, can we please buy just one? I want one of you and dad-"

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "Those things are awful Rose! They should never have made the toys. Most of those people died honourably in the war. Shrinking their heroics down into the insulting figure of popular plastic toys that move is a crime! Come on, we're not standing here for another moment."

"But _mum_."

"I said no," she repeated, grabbing the girl's hand. They pushed through the crowd around the shop window, Hermione holding her head up high as she pressed through a large collection of people who wanted nothing more than to stare at her. People were quite tedious at times.

Fifteen years. That's how long it had been since the Battle of Hogwarts. Warriors from that time still had old scars, marks across their skin and burns in their memory of treachery and loss that would forever linger with them. Children, like Rose, couldn't understand the hardships their parents went through, but she refused to let her daughter play with memorabilia trinkets. The creator was still unknown, and whilst the toys had been rather harmless thus far she wouldn't let Rose touch them. She felt like it was dishonouring her fallen friends in a way.

Maybe that was a bit silly, but she didn't care. Her husband, Ron, had ill-feelings about the toys as well. It stemmed from the creator of the Fred-and-George toys that hit the market months ago, selling like wildfire. None of the Weasley's took that too well.

Yes, the toys were modelled after people. Death Eaters and Order members alike had been transferred into a small version of themselves, and the toys were incredibly marketable. The Order members each had a tiny little patronus figure by their side, and each Death Eater came equipped with an individual mask and cape set. Even dear old Voldemort had a tiny pet snake as a companion. The toys could fly and dual together, in some ways re-creating the battle that took place in her youth. Rose couldn't possibly understand why they bothered her mother so much.

Her children were a bit younger than some of her friends. After the war they all had to wait some years before finally marrying their chosen other, settling down and starting the families they once dreamed about. When Hermione married Ron and became Hermione Granger-Weasley, she knew she was in for a bumpy ride. Ron was still torn apart by his brother's death and the gap it left in the Weasley family. Granted, Ginny was just as moody and unhappy, but at least she tried moving on. Ron wallowed in his pain.

And he still did. There wasn't a day that went by when Hermione didn't register the depression in his eyes. It hurt her heart, but she didn't know what to do. She simply didn't know how to help the love of her life.

Rose and Hugo came along almost three years after they had married- when they were twenty-one. At the age of twenty-four Hermione had their daughter Rose, who was now only eleven years old. In the fall she would start her first year at Hogwarts. Hugo was four years younger still, and Hermione didn't have him until she was twenty-eight. He was now seven, and recently had a birthday. They ended up having their children later than she had planned, but it couldn't be helped these days. It was hard to find Ron in good spirits anymore.

"Why do you hate the toys so much mum?" Rose asked as they walked through Diagon Alley. "A lot of my friends have them, and their parents don't complain."

"You're cousins don't have them," she remarked, thinking about Harry and Ginny's children. "Actually, I don't think I know any of your friends who have them."

Rose blushed. "Some of them do, but not the people in your circle."

"Oh, I see. And who are these people honey?"

She shrugged. "Friends outside of your friends. A lot of people aren't upset with these toys like you are."

"A lot of people aren't the models for the figurines either, Rose."

"But that's what makes it so cool! I could have miniature toys of my parents, uncles, aunts and relatives! And yet I'm not allowed to even have one."

"It's not that simple Rose," she remarked dryly, shifting through the throng of people. "We've been over this. You will not have any of those toys."

"But it's in the past mum! They're harmless!"

"Rose, enough," she snapped, turning to look at her daughter. "We've discussed this before, and you already know that the answer is going to be no, no matter how much you fight me. Now please, drop this. You don't want to upset your father."

Her eyes fell, staring at the ground. "He wouldn't talk to me earlier."

Hermione sighed, patting her daughters shoulder. "I know. Today's one of his worse days. I'm going to move him back to our room when we get home. You'll go play with Hugo while I do that, right?"

The child nodded, though she'd begun to tug on her hair. "Why is daddy always so sad?"

"It's a long story honey."

"Will you tell me about it?"

She shook her head. "Not today. Some other time maybe, when you're older. Now, it's absolutely bitter outside. Let's get home."

"Okay," Rose relented, walking to the nearby floo. She would go through first, as always. Her mother made it a habit to send her through first, completely unwilling to leave her alone in Diagon Alley. She was reaching for the complementary floo powder when she decided to look around, taking in the fall atmosphere before leaving. While glancing around, she froze.

He stood there staring back at her, curious eyes looking into her own. Her hand tightened on the powder, wondering how long he'd been standing there. Nosy, intuitive and insightful, he could've heard anything she had to say. And Hermione really wanted to keep Ron's condition on the down-low. There was a reason he didn't go to work anymore after all.

Instead of coming over to bother her, the blonde sent her a quick nod and continued on his way. Briefly, she couldn't imagine why Malfoy would pass up a chance to bother her, until she saw the hand dragging him along and the bobbing blonde head of his son, Scorpius. The boy was a year or two older than her daughter, but Hermione wasn't sure which.

She shook her head, stepping into the floo. She saw Malfoy on rare occasions during her outings, passing through places like a regular human being. Sometimes it unsettled her, but she wouldn't worry about that now. He probably just saw her standing there and had to contemplate whether or not to be a pain. Thankfully, he didn't come over to bother her today.

Dropping the floo powder and calling out her destination, she closed her eyes. She would need a level mind to get through the rest of the night.

* * *

Seeing Malfoy a few days later really wasn't something Hermione looked forward to when she found him waiting outside her office after a conference. He drew a lot of attention standing there in his fine robes, in front of her office of all places, and people were likely eavesdropping when he requested to speak to her inside her office. To avoid being listened in on, she agreed.

The proposal he offered up once inside wasn't something she expected at all.

"You do realise I'm going to have to take time off work, right?" She crossed her arms, eyeing him from the other side of her desk. He looked way too confident in his proposal.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, I'm going to pay you!"

"Yes, but this is going to get me a bad rep with my boss-"

"Granger, tell him you're solving a mystery. He might actually believe you."

"Or fire me."

"I doubt that."

"I don't. This division is quite picky-"

"And you're quite well known. He's not just going to drop you. Besides, you work in the bloody law division of the Ministry. Now will you help me or not?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you want to know who it is just as bad as I do. And I'm the only way you can afford to go snooping around."

She glared his way, tapping her foot on the ground. He actually had the balls to come to her office while she was working to offer up his little proposal. She thought he was barking mad.

"That might be true, Malfoy, but that doesn't mean I can just go snooping around for no apparent reason. Everyone wants to know who the creator is! But that doesn't mean that people are taking time off work all over the place to do some investigating either. What exactly is so important that you think you have to drag me along?"

"I worked hard to clear my name," the blonde spat, getting in her face. "It took a long time to rebuild any sort of good reputation in Britain, and I won't have it tarnished by a shitty toy somebody is making and distributing. I'm not a Death Eater anymore, and being publicised as one is reminding people of my past. It's something I worked hard to leave behind Granger. I will not fall back into the role of the bad guy again."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The toys are based off the war you know. Of course you'll be depicted as a Death Eater."

"That's not the point; these toys are based off of us. No one asked for our permission to create such figurines. It's technically illegal."

"I'm aware of that," she snapped, crossing her arms. "I forbid my daughter from getting any of them. They're offensive."

The blonde smirked. "So does that mean you're in?"

"Begrudgingly, yes."

"Fantastic! Shall we start brainstorming, oh say, now?"

She rolled her eyes, beckoning to the door. "I'm still on the clock, so the answer is no. I'll owl you when I have some time."

Walking to the door, he shook his head. "Typical Granger, always having to do things on her time."

"I heard that!" But it was too late, for Draco Malfoy had already walked out of the door. And now Hermione was supposedly in on an agreement to figure out the creator of those toys? She couldn't imagine telling a soul about this. They would think she was absolutely crazy.

* * *

At first, agreeing to work with Malfoy seemed like a truly bizarre idea. They were childhood enemies after all, standing on opposite sides of the war. The _only_ reason she bothered testifying at his trial on his behalf was because he didn't sell them out when they were captured and brought to the Manor. There had to be some sort of good in him if he didn't sell them out to his blasted leader.

But that was years ago. Presently they were hanging out late one night, sitting in the alleyway towards the back of the single store that sold the toys. They didn't think that the owner made them, mostly because he always seemed so awed by their very appearance.

There was a pattern with the toys. They'd been on the market for six months now, with a new toy appearing every one to two weeks. This night would mark the last day of a two week period before there should be a new toy around. And since the culprit didn't seem to have any fears of being caught after so long, they were betting that they might hand deliver the items or even speak to the shop owner personally.

It had only been two weeks since their agreement began, and a lot of work went into planning this night. Hermione couldn't fathom how excited she was about all of this. It was like being a little kid again, snooping around and doing all of her investigating with Harry and Ron; absolutely thrilling.

Now though, it was Malfoy who happened to be the one she was investigating with. It was quite the change, but not all together a bad one. He had a good head on his shoulders surprisingly enough, and they actually had a fairly good idea as to what they were doing.

"When do you think the delivery is done?" she asked, rubbing her hands together after nearly an hour of sitting around. They guessed that the delivery was made when Diagon Alley was mostly shut down for the night, and didn't go out until nearly eleven. Hermione's husband and both her children were a bit curious about that. She told them that it was for work- and it _was_- in a way.

"I don't know, but it's fucking cold out here."

"Agreed," she said, casting yet another warming spell. "I can hardly feel my fingers."

"Well, you'll do a lot of good if we actually spot this person, won't you?" he replied with a roll of his eyes. She jabbed him with her wand in response.

"So who are you thinking of as potential people?" he asked a few minutes later when they still saw no one. Though they kept their voices low they wanted to stay alert, fixing their eyes constantly on the back doorway of the building.

Hermione shrugged, hugging herself. "We've already made a list."

"Yes, _we_ made a list. I'm curious about who you specifically have your eyes on."

"Well," she began, placing her hands under her armpits, "Nott seems like a likely candidate."

"Nott? As in Theodore Nott, the man I used to be friends with."

"Precisely."

"And why, pray tell, do you think it'd be him?"

"You said so yourself that he does design work. He creates toys, sells some of his designs to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and according to you, he has a striking amount of designs in some sketchbook you've seen. Why wouldn't he be a candidate Malfoy?"

"I suppose you're right. He is a bit suspicious. It's also interesting that a Theo doll has yet to be made."

"My point exactly. I keep a close eye on him at work."

"He works in a completely different division to you Granger."

"So? I still keep my eyes on him now that we're doing some real investigating. I can't label him innocent yet."

"Right."

"And you? Who's one of your main suspects Malfoy?"

He scoffed. "Brown. I think this is all something she came up with."

"Lavender Brown? Malfoy, she's not the brightest girl around-"

"No, she's completely spacy. And that makes her suspicious in my book. She doesn't seem like a candidate at all, which makes her very suspicious."

"_Right_. None of these toys have a fashion sense though, which is what Brown is all about."

"The Lavender doll is the only toy from the Order's side to wear something with actual colour."

"Yes, _lavender_, just like her name. How strikingly creative."

"I'm just saying, Granger. You're the one who asked in the first place."

"I know. Anyone else?"

"Aside from our regular list? No."

"Well if we see this person at all tonight then we can possibly narrow down the list. From our list we have Brown, Nott, Longbottom…" she paused to shoot him a glare, Neville having been entirely his idea, "Skeeter, the Minster himself, Abbott and some Ravenclaw bloke you insist went to school with us."

"Granger, I _know_ he went to school with us. I spent enough time bullying the kid to remember him."

"How sweet."

"I wasn't a sweet kid."

"I remember."

"Of course you do." He shoved his hand in his pockets, fighting off the cold again. "Does it occur to you that our list of suspects is kind of sporadic and random?"

"Ever since we first came up with it. We sound a bit loony in that sense."

"Agreed. Funny thing is we don't even know if this person is someone either of us knows."

"I know, but I have a feeling it is. This person seems to know about the people the toys are based off of way too much to be an outsider. I bet it's either a former Order member or old Death Eater who changed his ways. If we weren't already partners you could even fit into that category."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "That's so very kind of you."

"Of course." They lapsed into silence again, working to keep themselves warm in the frigid cold. Fall was incredibly bitter for only having begun, and she already knew that it would be a very cold winter, one she wasn't looking forward to.

He shook her shoulder a moment later and she spun around, just to be pulled further behind the gross dumpster they were hiding behind. She gave him a quick glance before returning her focus to whatever he'd seen. Peering around the dumpster, they both saw someone apparate into existence.

Hermione felt her eyes widen. The person had the build of a man, meaning they could cross several people off of their list. His face and hair were hidden however by a hood, pulled up tightly around his face. From his pocket he pulled a small item and a moment later pulled out his wand too, causing the item to grow. It turned out to be a crate.

She exchanged a look with Malfoy. If nothing else, they had found their delivery-man, and hopefully the person behind all of this as well.

"Do we confront him?" Malfoy asked, leaning a bit closer to her. His voice was barely a whisper, working to keep quiet in the dead night, the only other noise the wind.

She hesitated, waiting to see what else he would do. From his pocket he pulled a paper, tacking it onto the door. Her eyes widened, thinking that was an incredibly bold mood to make for someone who didn't want to be found out. The man glanced around then, causing Hermione and Draco to shrink further into their hideout spot, before he began walking away.

"I'm not letting him get away," the blonde grunted, standing up. She reached to pull him back but missed his scarf, watching the man draw his wand. Hermione cursed her luck, wondering why the hell he had to be so brazen and bold. Before she could even really follow him however, the stranger turned around, own wand drawn.

"Malfoy!" He ducked to the side at her words, narrowly missing a spell. The stranger was using wordless magic, and her eyebrows lifted a hair. She knew few people who could actually do that, and most of them weren't even on her list.

Harry was one.

Ron was another.

The spell that he cast turned out to be nothing more than a leg-locking spell. She tried a simple disarming spell that he dodged, and before Malfoy could try to attack again he disappeared with a pop. The stranger had apparated away.

For a moment Hermione stood in silence, arms limp at her sides. Then her eyebrows drew together and she wheeled around on Malfoy, who was currently dusting himself off in the dim light.

"What did you do that for!?"

"Granger," he snapped, glancing around, "Keep it down. You're going to draw all the homeless fools over here."

"As if they haven't heard us already!"

"Granger-"

"You just had to go and try to catch him, didn't you?" she snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "Maybe if we gave him a bit of distance _before_ trying to run and follow him we could've seen where he was going! Now he's completely gone and all we have left is-"

"Is a crate and a note," he said suddenly, brushing past her. The woman was still quite angry at him for his rash decision, but said nothing as she stalked after him. She wasn't going to miss the opportunity to snoop after all.

"Be careful," she hissed, glancing around. "The shop owner lives above this place. He probably heard us."

Draco cringed, having forgotten about that. He looked up as well to see if anyone was staring down at them. "Think he knows who we are?"

"You did scream my name several times, so yes, I would assume that he knows who we are. I said yours plenty as well."

"Fuck," he hissed, snatching the note off of the door. They froze, listening to see if they could hear anything.

"I hear footsteps," she snapped, tugging on his sleeve.

"Let's get out of here," he replied, grabbing her wrist. Before she had time to argue with him, he apparated them both away, leaving the crate undisturbed. It was perfect too, seeing that the door opened a few moments later, a bewildered and slightly angry store-owner peering out. He couldn't see anyone.

"Kids are trying to steal my merchandise," he muttered, opening the door wider. He would usually wait a few more hours before bothering to come and get the crate, right around the time he would normally get up anyway. As he stepped out to levitate the delivery inside, he reached back towards the door to snatch up the usual note left behind. When his hand only brushed wood, the man paused and looked at the door. His eyes widened.

"So someone _was_ snooping," he said, shaking his head at the door. "It's a very good thing he likes keeping our notes cloaked. Having a wife like her would keep me on my toes too."

* * *

"I can't believe you brought us to a club," she hissed, glaring at him as they sat in one of the back booths. The place was mostly empty at that hour, but there were still enough people around that they didn't draw too much attention. A few of the lonesome men sitting around the bar shot Hermione a look when she walked in, but she turned up her nose and ignored them.

Malfoy found the incident comical. She did not.

"Would you rather I have apparated us back to my place?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "My relationship with my wife might be strained, but that doesn't mean that I want to bring strange women home to alarm my son."

"He's going to Hogwarts soon," she reminded, finally pulling off her hat. "I should know, I have to take Rose too."

"Quite right, but still. My marriage is fucked up enough."

"So I've noticed," Hermione muttered quietly, glancing away. There were enough articles in the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly about Malfoy's failing, scandalous marriage that anyone who read the paper knew all about the relationship, or lack thereof. "So, where's that paper? I want to know what it says."

He was grateful for the change of topic, and reached inside his cloak to pull it out. Setting the paper down between them he unfolded it, and both their eyes widened.

"It's blank," she snapped, picking the sheet up to examine both sides.

"Or it's been protected," he added, leaning back. "The man is selling toys illegally to a shop. He probably takes extra precautions."

"You're probably right," she muttered, setting the paper down. "I bet I can lift the spell if I have a bit of time to work on it."

"How much time exactly, Granger? I really don't want you complaining about that job of yours all because you're trying to lift a spell on a piece of paper. I don't think I can take all the bitching."

She shot him a glare. "I really don't think it's that complicated of a spell. I bet I can break it if given a bit of time. I can work on it at my house after work in the next few days."

"And you don't think you're darling hubby will be upset about that? I mean, won't it look suspicious or something?"

"Not with my job," she reminded, sitting back against the booth. "I'm often bringing things home to work on after hours."

"Granger, you do magical law work, not research. I still say he's going to question it."

"So let him," she said with a shrug. "Ron's harmless, and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he figured out what I've been spending all my time on. The only drawback might be mentioning you."

"Ah yes, I can only imagine how elated the Weasel will be to learn that you've spent so much time with me."

"Just as happy as your _darling_ wife would be."

"Astoria isn't darling," he snapped, catching Hermione off guard. He seemed so angry at the mention of the subject. "Besides, it's not as though she's going to care. You've read all the articles Granger, or at the very least heard about them. You know all about the fucking scandal."

Hermione pursed her lips, saying nothing. She knew the topic had to be a sensitive one for him, and wasn't too keen on the idea of actually talking about this with him. It seemed like a private matter, one that he would discuss with a friend or ideal girlfriend. Not with someone he used to bully and could barely now call an acquaintance.

"You can say it you know, Granger," he continued, studying her. "It's not as though this has any effect on you."

"Malfoy-"

"She cheated on me," he said, his tone scarily controlled. "With Theo, my friend. _In_ my bed."

She kept quiet, hands resting in her lap. Something told her he needed to just get this off of his chest, and interrupting would only fuel his fire.

"You know I haven't slept in that room since," he continued, looking straight into her eyes. "I can't. Not when I know she betrayed me so. Sometimes she doesn't even sleep at the Manor, and stays with him instead. I'm filing for a divorce."

"Malfoy… I'm sorry."

"Don't feed me your pity Granger," he spat, shaking his head. "I know you don't really feel sorry for me, not after everything. You probably see it as karma or something."

"Why would I see it like that?"

"Think of who I used to be," he reminded, still looking directly into her pupils. "I used to bully you ever chance I got. Why would you ever feel sorry for me?"

"Because everyone deserves respect," she snapped, watching one of his eyebrows arch up. "And if your own spouse won't at the very least respect you, then how can you trust that anyone else will? I don't know what happened to fracture your relationship Malfoy, but I am sorry that it happened. I don't think people deserve to be cheated on by the ones they love-"

"You think I loved Astoria?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, I assumed-"

"It was an arranged marriage Granger," he cut in, shaking his head. "It has nothing to do with love. After the war we were both too worn-out and tired of all the bullshit to bother fighting it, and we got married. Now I wish I had fought it. I wouldn't be in this situation now."

"Maybe that's the problem," she said gently, ignoring the way he kept glaring at her. "You don't love her Malfoy, you said it yourself. Your marriage didn't really have any love in it. That might be why she decided to seek compassion elsewhere. Maybe she's searching for something the two of you don't have."

"Granger, are you insinuating that I'm completely heartless and cold?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm saying exactly what you did; you don't love her. And apparently she doesn't love you either. The divorce might be a better option. At least then you can both move on with your lives."

"That's easy for you to say," he snapped. "You don't have this problem."

Shrugging, she pressed her lips together. While her relationship with Ron was no longer ideal, she wasn't quite certain that she could ever see herself actually divorcing the man. Had her love for him fragmented over the years? And if so, why? Because he was mourning, or because she wasn't willing to slow down for him? Maybe it was because he never worked anymore, and mostly kept to himself, even at home. Occasionally he would speak to her, share a dinner with -the family- when Hermione was home to cook- but he didn't go out of his way to see her. The bed they shared felt cold most of the time, even when two people slept there. He never got close to her, and they certainly didn't have sex. Most of the time he was locked away in his office, keeping everything private.

She often wondered what he hid in there, but couldn't quite make herself snoop. It felt wrong to spy on your own husband.

"Granger?" She shook her head, coming out of her thoughts. He was looking at her now, the paper folded up again.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, you just spaced out. Let's just call it a night. It's almost three."

Her eyes widened. "Three! Oh, Merlin! What is Ron going to think?!"

Draco stood beside her as the woman jumped up, peering into a nearby mirror to make sure she looked alright. Slipping the paper into her hand as she turned back, he sighed.

"Let him think whatever he wants Granger. It's not like he ever tried to contact you."

She froze at his words, and the blonde turned away. He walked to the floo and left without a backwards glance, and she stood rooted to the spot long after he was gone. When one of the lonesome men moved to come and see her, she shook herself out of her trance and got out of there before a confrontation ensued. His words kept ringing in her head, even after she'd gotten back to her home and slipped into bed.

_It's not like he ever tried to contact you._

Ron was asleep in bed snoring by the time she finally settled in, the children already tucked in for the night. Malfoy had a point. It's not like he was concerned. He didn't mind when she went out earlier, he didn't try to contact her and make sure she was okay. He did nothing.

Deep inside her chest, she felt her heart constricting. It was almost like he didn't _care_.

* * *

**A/n:** Second half will be posted in about a week!


	2. Part 2

**A/n:** And here's part two. Sorry it took so long, this has been in my documents for a while so I incorrectly assumed that it was published already. My mistake. But here it is! Leave a comment at the end so I know what you thought. Thanks to my beta **lozipozivanillabean**!

* * *

Close to Home Mysteries, part 2

"It's just a note talking about payment," she told Draco a few days later, the blonde having come to her office. She handed him the paper she had decoded, watching his eyebrows draw together. "The writer used a spell to write the note. There's no way to identify the penmanship. It's generic to the spell."

"Fantastic," he remarked, tossing the paper back on the desk. "As if there aren't enough things working against us right now."

When she didn't reply Malfoy chanced a look in her direction, studying the brunette. She was staring off to the right, seemingly not paying an ounce of attention to him.

"Granger?"

"Hmm?" She shook her head as she spoke, clearing her head before she looked his way.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing? Doing what?"

"Zoning out," he replied, leaning back in the chair. "You did it a few days ago too when we were investigating."

"So? I have a lot on my mind."

"So I've noticed." He leaned forward again, placing his elbows on the desk in front of him. "But last time you did it when we were talking about your husband."

Her eyebrows shot up. He noticed that detail, did he? "So?"

"So? So obviously you have problems at home. You're not usually this distracted."

"How would you know?" she shot back.

"Really, Granger? You were the top student in our year, in the year _above_ us even. You've always got your head in the game, except once when you and darling Weasley had a little spat. I imagine that that's what's happening again."

"Fuck off Malfoy," she retorted, shoving his elbows off her desk. "That's none of your business."

"So what if it's not? It's simply something I noticed."

"Well, stop noticing Malfoy. That's not why we're here."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say. So should we go harass the store-owner or something?"

"I've been thinking about that," Hermione replied, glad he was so willing to drop the previous subject. "I can't decide if it's a good idea or not. He probably already knows we were there, but then, he's fairly old and it's not too far off course to suspect that his hearing might be going- just a little."

"He does seem to miss things sometimes."

"Exactly. And I'm not sure revealing our identities to him is a good idea. As long as our cover isn't blown, we shouldn't worry so much about it."

"So is another stake-out in order?"

She pursed her lips. "Do you think it would work? Our toy-creator ran away pretty quick- if it was the actual creator dropping the newest edition off- he might not make any more personal deliveries anymore."

"I don't see why he doesn't just use the floo," Draco groaned, rubbing his temples. "Then no one could catch him in the first place."

Shrugging, she picked up a quill to twirl between her fingers. "I don't know. Maybe he's a bit daft?"

"He's dropping off merchandise in a shady alley in the middle of the night. Of course he's daft!"

"You have a point." A knock sounded on her door, and Hermione paused to look up. She didn't have any plans to speak to anyone, so who would bother her when her door clearly had a 'meeting' sign hanging on it. Sure, it was just Malfoy inside the room, but no one else needed to know this meeting had nothing to do with any of her actual work.

"Expecting visitors?" the blonde asked, leaning back in his chair once more. Hermione was about to call out that she was busy, when the door opened before she could speak.

"Ron!" She jumped up from her seat as he stepped inside, eyes dark.

"Hermione-"

"What do you think you're doing!?" she asked, hands on her hips. "I'm at work!"

"Yes, so I see," he snapped, surveying Malfoy. The blonde cocked an eye brow but said nothing, watching the couple interact. He did however have the courtesy to use his wand to shut the door and soundproof the room as Weasley stepped in. He was certain Granger would find a way to blame him for her division finding out about her lover's spat. He was saving his own arse this way.

"What's he doing here?!" Ron slammed his hands down on the desk, practically shoving Draco out of the way as he stared angrily at his wife. "Is this who you've been doing every time you're away from home?!"

"Weasley, I think Granger might be too much of a prude for that."

The couple whirled around on Draco at that, and the man raised his hands up in mercy. Sliding out of his chair he backed away against the wall, comfortably distanced from the screaming duo.

"You have no right to make such accusations Ronald," she snapped, placing her hands lightly on the desk. "Now, if you don't mind, can we possibly discuss this at home like mature adults? I can't believe you actually came to my work to discuss this!"

He shrugged, looking between the pair. "If this was a business endeavour, then I think you would've mentioned it. Whether you're busy lately or not, you'd usually rant about having to deal with that prick. Yet I haven't heard anything about you spending time with him. Why are you keeping it a secret, Hermione, hmm?"

Her cheeks tinged red at that, realising Ron probably had a point. Draco raised an eyebrow from his place off to the side, surprised that Weasley actually said something that intelligent.

"Ron, you've been busy lately too," she reasoned, straightening out as she attempted to compose herself. "You've been hiding in your office for days on end."

"At least the children see _me_," he spat, picking at sensitive topics. "Most of the time when Rose or Hugo asks about you I just tell them you're at work, and then they get sad. Seems you're _always_ at work." He shot Malfoy a look. "Or at least, you're pretending to be."

"Ron, do you hear how silly this sounds! Both Draco-"

"You're using his first name now!?" From the corner of her eye, Hermione could see that Malfoy looked startled as well. Oops. Now she'd made a mess on both sides of things. She tried to keep her cool though.

"Ron, really. We're both adults. We're not sleeping together, cheating, or anything of the like. We're _business_ partners right now, and we're working together. Can you please respect that? Just because you're angry doesn't mean that I'm doing unsavoury things."

"Doesn't mean everything here is so innocent either."

"Ron! Do you even hear yourself? You've created this ridiculous conspiracy! I'm not doing anything behind your back!"

"You could've fooled me! I can't believe someone like you is whoring herself-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he was silenced by the deafening slap to the side of his face. The ginger stumbled, and Malfoy looked mildly surprised by her loss of control. Ron's head whipped around a moment later, glaring at his wife. Her arms were crossed at her chest, eyes glaring daggers into him.

"I don't believe you went there Ron," she said, her tone deathly low. "You're better than that."

"But are you?" he dared to ask, glancing between the two. "I'm not sure I know you anymore."

"I haven't known you for a long time Ronald," she spat, eyes narrowing. "The man I married didn't shy away from his friends, didn't quit his job, and didn't hide at home all the time. He actually got out and did something! He didn't shut himself out for hours upon hours at a time in his office! He didn't let depression be his downfall, he didn't keep a room locked for his eyes only, and he certainly wouldn't say such terrible things to me! I don't know what changed in you Ron, I don't know when the changes even started, but I'm sick of it. You can't just treat me like shit."

"You think you're treating me any better?" he spat, picking up a nearby pillow. He threw it at her with all his might, but she dodged the throw easily enough. Malfoy cocked his eyebrow from his position on the wall, stiffening. He wondered what else might be thrown during this dispute, but like a smart man, kept his comments to himself. He had no intention of stepping in between the two, not unless he needed to.

"At least I'm not treating you like this! I didn't storm into your office and disrupt you while you were busy!"

"I just came to speak to my fucking wife. Heaven forbid that she would actually want to do the same."

"Ron-"

"Save it," he spat, turning to go. "I'm finished here."

He stormed out without a backwards glance, Draco lifting the locking spell as he went, then shutting the door in the ginger's wake. Glancing back at Hermione he noticed that she'd sunken into her chair, head resting between her arms on the desk.

He cleared his throat searching for something to say, but couldn't find the words. Time elapsed between them, and it was several minutes before he tried to speak again.

"Do you two fight like that often?" Hermione shook her head, keeping it against the desk. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh."

She was silent for another few moments before forcing herself to sit up, brushing her hair away from her face. She wasn't crying, but she looked on the brink of it. Taking several deep breaths, she finally focused on the blonde, who moved to sit in front of her in the provided chair.

Hermione shook her head. "Married life hasn't been a pleasant cup of tea in a long time."

"So I see."

"Yeah," she said, glancing away from him. "At home I don't think we ever focus on the tension because of the children. We try to remain mutual for them, never talking about our problems. It's not like he'd speak to me any way I suppose… What you saw is the product of weeks of tension and lack of communication."

"Sounds like my divorce," he muttered, causing her to flinch. "Sorry."

"No, you're fine," she said, dropping her head into her hands. "I'm not sure what's happening to us anymore. He's so distant lately."

"Maybe he's the one cheating on you." She turned and slapped him in the head. "Again, sorry."

"Don't be," she whispered, rubbing her eyes. "I can't disregard the fact that our relationship is held together by strings. The connection we once had is severely lacking. It's just…"

"Upsetting?"

"Yeah. Is this what it felt like at the end of your marriage?"

Draco snorted. "Hardly. Like I told you Granger, my marriage was loveless. She's faithless, and I won't miss her when all ties are severed. I will only ever associate with that woman again in regards to my son. And I'm reluctant to even do that."

Hermione nodded again, taking in his words. "But did it start like this? With these… awful fights?"

"Granger, are you concerned that your marriage is falling apart?"

"It seems like it! He's never happy with me anymore, and we hardly ever communicate. When we stayed out really late that one night I came home and he wasn't even concerned about where I had been. I got in bed and he rolled the other way. And now he comes in here screaming at me like everything is _my_ fault. He's just as disengaged from this relationship as I appear to be. At least I don't have a hidden room! Merlin, he keeps that thing locked up tight. I haven't been in there for months. Merlin knows what he's actually hiding in there."

"A set of figurines just waiting to be made?" His words caused her to freeze, and slowly her eyes met his once more.

"You can't be serious Malfoy. After everything that just happened you're trying to convince me that _my husband_ is our toy maker?!"

He shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I see. It's quite curious that he won't let you in there, and it's been months, and yet the toys have only been around for a few _months_. Have you really never tried to get in there?"

She bit her lip. "Well, several weeks ago I tried, but he keeps a locking spell on the door, and a protection spell."

One blonde eyebrow shot up. "And that's not suspicious to you?"

"I'm not saying that it doesn't make me wonder sometimes, but I doubt my husband makes toys in his pastime. I mean, that's the last thing I can envision him doing."

"I see. So how much do you make a month?"

"Excuse me?"

"I picked you up, once, and your home seems rather lovely- and expensive. I'm just wondering if you're salary alone can keep up with the expenses."

She stood. "We are _not_ having this conversation Malfoy! My husband isn't the one that's behind all of this!"

He stood as well, shrugging again. "I'm just saying it would make sense. We don't have any leads, but this situation is very suspicious. We always overlook the people closest to us."

"It's not Ron," she whispered, but he heard something lingering in her voice; doubt. He was getting inside her head.

"I'm not going to try and convince you it is him," Draco continued, standing. "I just don't want you overlooking the idea. If he ever leaves the bloody house and you want to investigate, call me. I'd gladly snoop through Weasley's things."

She looked like she would say something to that, but nothing ever came. He could practically see the gears in her head spinning. "A new toy comes out soon. We'll wait around and see what it is. If you absolutely won't go spy on your husband and see why he's so insistent on hiding things in that room like a creep, then our next best option is to question the shop owner. Owl me when the new toy comes out and let me know what you think."

Hermione nodded, but said nothing to him as he left. His words still danced in her head, and the fight with Ron echoed in the background. A knot formed in her stomach, making her feel sick. She couldn't believe this was happening.

She wasn't in denial that it could be Ron. She really wasn't.

* * *

When the new toy came out, Hermione sent an owl to Malfoy that very morning demanding that they needed to speak. She declared that she refused to go to work that day, but Ron was home and they couldn't speak there. Not seeing another option, he invited her to visit his home, if for no other reason than his curiosity eating at him. She seemed very on edge from the way her note was written.

He had her use the floo that went directly into his study. His son was busy elsewhere that morning, and hopefully this would keep the boy from questioning why another woman was in his father's office. Astoria would throw a fit about it if she found out, just because she could, and he didn't want to be around for that. He knew she'd never shut up.

The blonde didn't have time to exchange pleasantries with her when she arrived. She stormed from the floo, surprising him slightly, and threw a box down on his desk. He arched an eyebrow as he looked at her a moment longer, wondering what the hell had her knickers in such a twist so early in the morning. He already knew a toy box sat on his desk, but when he glanced around to see what figurine had been created this week he froze, eyes glued to the box.

Each box came with a little name for each toy. Generally it was the name of the wizard. This box was called _Betrayal_. He glanced back at Hermione, noticing that her cheeks were wet.

"This is the newest toy," she said hollowly, looking down at the box. "It's a big slap in the face."

He said nothing to that, glancing back at the toy again. Inside stood a little Draco and a little Hermione, dressed in different attire than their school robes and Death Eater costume. He wore dark jeans, a dark cloak, and grey button up, just like he had a few days ago when Weasley stormed into Granger's office. She wore an identical outfit to the one she wore that day too.

"They have every detail down," he muttered, picking up the box. Opening it he took out the toys, setting them on the desk. All at once the figures skipped together, kissing each other on the lips before skipping away.

He picked them up and sat them back down a second time. This time the Hermione toy jumped at him, wrapping toy legs around the other toy's torso, sharing a second kiss. He frowned. Seemed slightly graphic for a kid's toy.

Using magic he brought a chair over, gesturing for her to sit down. She did so, looking stunned and a bit sick. He froze the toys to keep them from repeating the same sequences, turning the chair to face her.

He hesitated speaking at first. "These are based off Weasley's assumption from that day."

"I know," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Every detail of it was captured, including our clothing."

"Yes."

"This is creativity gone astray." She glanced at him then, looking up from the floor. "I think, going off of my old prediction that he might be our toymaker, Weasley let his emotions overpower his creativity and this is the result. Hurt bled into his creative drive, and now we have a set up that will probably cause a lot of reporters to stop by and ask us both if something is going on between us."

She continued to shake her head, rubbing her temples. "I didn't overlook him Malfoy. This can't be Ron."

"I used a silencing spell and a locking charm that day," he said, explaining something she hadn't been aware of. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I would've noticed if the wards were broken at all and someone was listening in. Unless Weasley happened to share his story with the toy-maker-"

"Who would he share it with?!" Hermione spat, pain appearing in her face. "He made this because he was mad at me! He's been making all of the toys!" She stood, stepping away from the desk. He was quiet as she paced, giving the woman several minutes to herself.

"There's one way to know for sure," he reasoned, stopping her in her tracks. "If there's a workshop behind the door, hiding inside his office, then we've found our creator."

"And to think I didn't even let the children buy toys their father made," Hermione muttered, shaking her head. Draco didn't ask what that meant, and chose to stay silent. After seeing the newest addition to the toy line, she wasn't quite sure what she was thinking anymore. Everything had blurred together, and she didn't really know what to say now.

She didn't know what to think either, but now there was one thing she couldn't deny; she had to know the truth.

Turning back to the blonde, she swallowed before speaking. "Ron, well, he has somewhere to be today. He didn't say anything to me, seeing as he thinks I'm now some type of whore, but he told my daughter. He's going out around two."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "I see you never got an apology for that comment." She shook her head. "So where are you going with this Granger?"

She fiddled with her fingers, looking hesitant. "Will you come looking with me? I feel bad enough that I want to go breaking into Ron's room, but I can't help thinking-"

"You're asking me if I'd like to piss Weasley off and look through his things? Well of course!"

Hermione should've known that it wouldn't be hard to convince him. "Okay… around two. I'll make sure to send an owl if he doesn't actually leave. I just, I need to know."

"I _want_ to know." He patted her hand when she glanced down, looking guilty. "You're his blasted wife Granger. I think you have a right to know if he's hiding something like this from you."

"I hope you're right," she muttered, rubbing her head awkwardly.

"I am right. Now get out of here, and try to relax. We haven't actually proven anything yet."

Nodding, she bid him goodbye. And though Hermione was a bit shaky when she returned home, she tried to stay level-headed. She did work in the department of law after all. She knew there was no law against looking into what her husband was doing. It might be considered an invasion of privacy, but hey, she was doing it for a good cause. And Ron was keeping a pretty huge secret from her.

* * *

Thankfully, Ron did leave before two. What he failed to tell his wife though was that Harry and Ginny were having their children over for a sleepover. It made her wonder what he had up his sleeve, but couldn't concern herself with it too much as she waited for Malfoy to arrive. If Rose and Hugo were otherwise occupied then that gave her more time to snoop around, and there would be less of a concern about being caught. She wouldn't even have to worry about explaining why he was there. In a way, this might make things simpler for her.

When Malfoy arrived, he had the toys in his pocket. They thought bringing them along might be good to ensure an exact comparison to anything they might find. Walking up to the door, Hermione found her breath catching in her throat.

"You don't even know anything yet Granger," he reminded, studying the woman beside him. "There might be nothing in there."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked, looking up at him with sceptical eyes. He merely shrugged.

"I never said that Granger. But I thought you needed the reassurance."

"Don't say things you don't even believe in Malfoy," she sighed, looking down. "Please."

"If you insist." He stood back at first, letting the woman have a go at the wards. She insisted upon it. When it took more than a couple basic spells to break through, he couldn't help his tongue.

"Mighty protective, isn't he?"

"He might've strengthened them after our fight," she muttered, stepping back to lean against the opposite wall. "You never know."

"I suppose not. But Granger, why did you let it go so far. Did you really never realise anything was up with him?"

She bit her lip, rubbing her hands together. "Don't ask me that Malfoy, not yet. At least not until after we know what's really behind the door."

"Very well. Would you like some help now?"

"It might be beneficial," she muttered, rubbing her temples. He smirked, and together they went back to disarming the door. It only took a few minutes after that to get inside, but they both knew the door was far too heavily warded to not be hiding something. When they were free to step inside, he stepped back and let her go first. This was her house after all.

Hermione had to take a quick breath before stepping inside. Pushing open the door, she stepped in, refusing to open her eyes before she was through the threshold.

"You were right," she muttered, looking around. The room was littered with different items all that would morph and configure into different styles of the toys. There were sketches laid out all over, and prototypes sitting around on his desk. Hermione never realised until that moment that her husband had such a creative hand. "The creator's been sitting right under my nose the entire time."

Malfoy wandered over to one of the toys, pulling a Hermione figurine from the newest edition out of his pocket. "The toys are practically identical in their make. When did Weasley learn such intricate spells?"

"I don't know," she muttered, falling onto a nearby chair. "I never realised Ron was even into these types of things… no wonder he's so frustrated with me lately."

"Why do you feel bad about things like that if you didn't even know?" he asked, glancing her way. "It's not like it's your fault that he kept it secret."

"I just can't figure out why," she muttered, brows drawing together. She shook her head, refusing to look at the blonde man in front of her. Taking a shaky breath, she switched things around. "Now you know who it is. Are you satisfied?"

"Partially. I'd really like to know why the hell he decided to start this madness in the first place."

"You and I both. You're not going to turn him in?"

"Granger, you work in the law division. I know your mind is practically blown right now, but do remember, he's done nothing illegal. I can't turn him in for keeping his identity a secret, even if I would sincerely like to. I don't quite know what I plan to do with this little discovery."

"Neither do I," came a voice, and Hermione whirled around at the sound. Draco glanced over his shoulder as well, eyeing the duo at the door. He could already see the tension building.

"Afternoon Weasley," he said evenly, already wondering what was going to happen. "Looks like you returned with some baggage this time around."

"I'm not _baggage_!" Lavender cried, shoving Ron aside. "Are you dense?"

"No darling, I think that would be you. You realise you're parading around with a married man, right?"

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron said, dropping a bag. Hermione's eyes glanced in the direction of the thud, and realised it was his old school suitcase.

"Ron… what are you doing?"

He looked away oddly, rubbing the back of his head. Lavender opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly covered it. "I… I thought you would be at work today. You left this morning, right?"

"No," she said flatly, not offering up an explanation. "I told you when I returned earlier that I had no intention of going to work today after a rather brutal _toy_ hit the marketplace. I'm sure you know all about that."

The man glanced away guiltily. "I can explain!"

"You can explain!? Oh good, then please, enlighten me!"

Ron sighed, running fingers through his hair- a habit so very closely related to something Draco might do that the brunette almost saw double. "Can you two give us a minute?" he asked, glancing between the blonde and Lavender.

"Actually Weasley, I'm quite comfortable where I am. Oh but please, carry on." Hermione sent him a look, but whether or not she was thankful that he refused to leave the room he couldn't be sure.

The ginger glanced at Lavender, who turned her nose up. "Tell them Ronald! It's time your _wife_ knew what was really going on."

"Indeed," Hermione muttered, sitting slowly down in her chair again. Draco leaned against the desk, looking none-too-concerned that he knocked one of the prototypes off and it hit the floor with a loud _smack_!

"Be careful you twit!" Lavender snapped, eyeing Draco. "Those are delicate!"

He arched an eyebrow but said nothing, instead returning his focus to the guilty looking husband across from him. Ron wouldn't meet his wife's eyes as he spoke, choosing to look towards the ground.

"I know you've been investigating about the toys," he began.

"I know _exactly_ what I've been up to," she reminded darkly, crossing her arms. "I'm very interested to hear what _you've_ been doing."

"Hermione-"

"Just tell me the truth," she snapped, but her tone came out more broken than bitter. She seemed to be unravelling with every word Ron said.

He sighed. "I- we have been working on these toys for ages. When I started making them almost a year ago, they were just a hobby. They were a way of bringing back the dead."

Hermione cringed at his reference, thinking of Fred. Ron had been so pained when his brother passed.

"You don't really understand what it's like to lose your family," Ron sighed, rubbing his head. "I know the Order members are like your family, Harry and Ginny _are_ your family, but it's not the same. Fred was my blood brother, and losing him was awful. It's a totally different feeling when you're actually related to a person."

She nodded, saying nothing. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Then…" his cheeks turned pink. "I ran into Lavender again."

"So I see," she said, her voice barely audible.

"It didn't start off as anything," he began, glancing between the two women. "But when we became more distant Hermione as your job improved and mine disappeared, I found I had more in common with her than with… you."

"You're cheating on me?" she asked, her voice numb.

"I… I wasn't initially."

"Of course he's cheating on you!" Lavender spat, breaking the delicate moment. "I hate to break it to you Hermione, but the two of you aren't very compatible. You're too different."

Hermione finally looked up, eyes shining bright with tears. But she looked to be more on the brink of throwing things than crying. "So you've been doing exactly what you accused me of- cheating?"

"Erm… more or less."

"Be straight with me Ron," she said, her tone leaving no room for debate. "For once in our marriage. How long?"

He looked up, startled. "What?"

"How long have you been lying to me? It's a simple question, needing a simple answer."

"A couple months."

"How long is a couple Ron? You seemingly got together before the toys hit the market. So how long, really?"

He sighed, looking away again. "About nine months."

She looked away from him then, the blow to her pride hitting low. Draco arched an eyebrow at her reaction, meeting her eyes. The look within them almost seemed to ask if she needed his help. She only shook her head.

"And you couldn't just speak up and say you wanted a divorce?"

"I-"

"You should've said something Ron, really. Just tell me. I would've let you go."

He blinked, looking surprised at the down faced woman. "Really?"

"Yes, because I've come to realise something now. I don't love you either."

If he could hurt her, she'd do her best to hurt him too. "Hermione-"

"You're running away now," she said, standing. She tucked her loose hair behind her ear, looking him directly into his eyes. "That's why you sent the children away, why you have that bag. You we're going to leave without saying anything to anyone."

"I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"So it would be better to run away with no explanation at all?!" She had a sudden flashback of the war, when Ron left Hermione and Harry alone in the wilderness. "Even after your last flyting Ron, I never pegged you for a coward. Now I think I do."

"Because I wouldn't tell you? Hermione, I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"Too late," she snapped, brushing away a stray tear from her cheek. "But it's not me I'm thinking about. What about Hugo and Rose? What would they have to say when their father is no longer around? Would you even write them? Would you ever tell them you're sorry?"

"I-"

"Tell me the end of your story Ron," she whispered, wiping her cheeks again. "Tell me why you created the toys, and then marketed them."

He pursed his lips, watching his wife unravel. "When I ran into Lavender again… she came here one day and looked at them-"

"While I was away?" she snapped. "Or while I was here? You have your own private floo, she could've come over anytime and I wouldn't have known."

Ron shrugged uncertainly. "The first time… you weren't here. But eventually, sometimes you were."

Hermione nodded, keeping her lips tightly pressed together. She'd backed up a bit now, looking for the support column she didn't have. Something brushed her hand and she didn't need to look down to know it was Draco's fingers. Without hesitation she grabbed his hand, clinging to it while her world fell apart.

"Eventually… eventually we made a deal with the salesman of the store to sell them. It was Lavender's marketing idea. We sketch the toys together, and then I use the spells I've perfected overtime to make them work. Making Fred and George was particularly hard, especially when we gave them to the mass market. You know how I felt about my brother."

She didn't even respond to that. "And the newest edition entitled _Betrayal? _You should look at your own craftsmanship Ron. You're reflecting your own mistakes in that one."

"It was your mistake too," he muttered.

"No Ron," she snapped, pulling her hand out of Draco's grip, "It's not. Unlike you, I stayed loyal in my marriage, even if you don't believe it."

He had nothing to say to that. And when she realised his story was done she pulled out her wand. "You can leave now."

His eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me? I thought you would be well… mad."

"Just because I haven't torched your hair off yet Ron doesn't mean I'm not mad." Her gaze shifted between Lavender and the ginger. "Get out of my house."

"I-"

"You want to run away, fine. That's just fine Ron. Run away with her. We'll divorce and you can tell the children exactly why mummy and daddy aren't together anymore."

He looked baffled, as did Lavender. "Really?"

"Of course. Now if you don't mind, get out of the room."

Ron frowned. "But-"

"I'm sorry, were you going to argue? I thought letting you leave with all your hair, sweet little Lavender all in one piece, and _avoiding_ dragging your blasted name through the ground was a pretty good deal. I'll even let you be the one to tell Harry, Ginny and your parents all about this experience, you lucky bastard. But you're particularly daft if you think you get away with everything."

"Hermione…"

She beckoned that he should leave with her hand, ignoring Lavender entirely. "I let you get away with everything Ron. We both know I could do far worse, so don't take this for granted. Now, I can see you have your clothes. Now _get_ out."

"But my things-"

"These things? Your work? The work that brought you and Lavender together? The work that features myself and Draco in doll-like form kissing? _This_ work?" She beckoned around her. "You created all of this once Ron, you can create it again."

Without waiting for his reaction she spun around, pointing her wand at the nearest table. She used a spell to destroy everything on the table, leaving nothing behind.

"You bitch!" She spun around at the sound of Lavender's voice but Ron was already restraining her, and Draco had his wand out. She took her own and pointed it towards her husband.

"You broke my heart Ron. You stepped all over it. And all's fair in love and war. You broke my heart, now I'm going to break something of yours."

Lavender made to pull out her wand but Ron stopped her, looking into his wife's eyes. He didn't say anything, but turned around and threw Lavender out the door, getting her away from anywhere she could actually cause harm. He glanced back.

She couldn't tell if there was regret in his eyes, but she didn't care. He picked up the bag and ran from the room, never looking back. He might be a sore loser but Ron knew one thing; when his wife had defeated him.

Finally she turned to look at the blonde, who stood with his arms crossed watching the entire scene. "Interesting."

Hermione closed her eyes, taking a calming breath. "Would you care to help me?"

"With what?"

"What do you think? Torching up the room."

He grinned, grabbing her hand again. "You know Granger, you're quite sexy when you're all worked up."

She smirked back. "We can talk about that later, after we destroy this room."

"Interesting form of revenge."

"I quite thought so."

"Do you think you might need some time to cry a little first?"

"Maybe just a bit."

"And then we can talk about that sexy thing again?"

She rolled her eyes, patting his arm. "Sure Malfoy, once everything is done and over with."

He nodded, and they clicked their wands together before turning back to all the hard work in the room. It was time for payback.

_~FIN~_


End file.
